Monday in Hot Springs we visited the Wax Museum, the Mountain Tower in Hot Springs National Park and the Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo and Downtown Hot Springs.

Our cabin at Five Points Lake Resort

Here are some pictures from our drive to Hot Springs.  This is the town square at Pittsburg, Texas.

Last night, we had the hotel pool to ourselves.  Hannah got acclimated to the heated pool and all night cried to get back in the “tub”.  When I say all night, she woke up at 2:30am talking about the tub and “wimming”.  She had a blast as did Josh.  Josh thought it would be good to get a swiiming pool at the parsonage:)

This morning we went to Tiger Creek which is a rescue shelter for big cats.  When I say big cats I am not talking about overfed domestic cats.  Tiger Creek is home to tigers, jaguars, pumas, bobcats, panthers and lions. 

We took a guided tour through the park and saw some of the most incredible animals that God has created.  There was almost every kind of tiger species and their largest tiger weighed a whopping 675 pounds.  It was impressive.  There was a slightly smaller cat that I believe is more awesome than that, the lion.

As we looked at the Lion with his mane in perfect condition and beheld his silent power, I couldn’t help but think about the symbol of this animal.  The Bible declares this is a powerful animal with a prowess to stalk and hunt.  It can silently and patiently wait for his prey and devour it in a moment.  This is where the Bible declares that Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 

There is yet another lion the Bible speaks of that can devour Satan.  The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!  This lion embodies the majesty of Heaven.  Jesus is the perfect picture of the lion who is termed the King of the Jungle.  Jesus is the King of Kings!  As our eyes beheld this incredible animal, it only made us desire to behold the Risen Son of God in the Kingdom of Heaven, where the Lion will lay down with the Lamb.

On the way to Tyler yesterday we stopped at the Ellen Trout Zoo.  It was a nice little zoo with a good variety of animals.  As we were walking by the bird cages I noticed that someone whistled at Sonya and then said hello.  To be honest I thought someone was trying to hit on her.  I bowed up a little bit and then I found the culprit, here is the picture of him.  I let it slide because he was a bird.  As we journeyed through the zoo, we were amazed at how awesome God’s creation is.  From the power and might of the Siberian Tiger to the beauty and creativity of the peacock.  God is an amazing God with an ingenious and creative mind.

On a side note, if God is so creative and we are made in His image, we too, ought to use creativity to reach people for Christ. 

It is 10:30am and we are about to pull out.  We thought we would leave earlier but by the time Hannah and me got up it was 9:30am.  Before you say that it is too late for me to sleep in, just remember I am on vacation.  We are excited to get on the road and man, do we have  a load in the car.  We should have rented a U-haul to get there.  We are going to be in Tyler for the next two days and visit the Tiger Creek Big Cat Farm and the Tyler Caldwell Zoo.  It seems like everyone but Hannah is excited to go.  Pray for us as we endure 4 and a 1/2 hours of Barney and Silly Songs with Larry.

Friday morning is the big day!  Vacation begins.  We will leave Friday morning for Tyler to stay two nights and visit the Tiger Rescue Foundation and the Tyler Zoo.  We will take some time just to kick back and relax until we leave for Hot Springs on Sunday.  We have a cabin rented on Lake Hamilton.  You can check out our cabin here.  I am pumped about spending time with Sonya and the kids and just unwinding for a couple of days.  We will do some sightseeing but there will be no schedules for the next two weeks.  After Hot Springs we leave for Oklahoma to visit Sonya’s Family.  I am looking forward to two weeks of rest and fun.  Check back on the blog and we will try to update you on what we are doing and where we are.